Lady Indians go 8-0 in WAC, finish 2nd in Class 5A
It was just a year ago that the Hays High Lady Indians made their first appearance in the Class 5A state basketball tournament in 29 seasons.
Their trip to the 5A state was short-lived, however, losing in the opening round to No. 8-seeded and eventual champion St. Thomas Aquinas, 51-48.
Coach Len Melvin and his group of returners made a promise to themselves shortly thereafter that the 2025-2026 season would see them advance further.
Melvin’s squad succeeded in nearly every category and goal as they swept through the Western Athletic Conference with an 8-0 record, the third straight year that they have had an umblemished conference record.
Taking a 21-1 record into the postseason, the Lady Indians came through their sub-state and then eked out a 49-46 victory in the 5A first round over Wichita-Kapaun Mt. Carmel before rolling over Shawnee Heights, 66-41, in the semifinal.
Making their first state championship appearance was a huge step for the Lady Indians only to see their bid for that promised land trophy come up just shy in a heart-breaking 49-48 loss to St. James Academy of Lenexa.
“It’s always tough to lose that last one, especially on the big stage,” Melvin said of his team’s bid for history. “We gave it our best shot and just came up short. I’m certain it will motivate our next year’s team to get back there and finish the job.”
After the successful 2024-25 campaign, Melvin said he needed to upgrade the team’s non-conference schedule to get his team competitive with elite teams. In reviewing the team’s success this season, it is apparent that the ploy worked extremely well.
Early in the season, they defeated eventual 4A semifinalist Wellington and Colorado 5A semifinalist Standley Lake High School of Westminster, Colo. They posted wins in the Rock Creek Invitational over 4A semifinalist Rock Creek, only to lose to 3A state champion Silver Lake. Wins also came against 6A Manhattan and private school power Sunrise Christian Academy.
“No doubt that the schedule helped us to be more competitive,” Melvin said. “We played a lot better teams and that was and will be the focal point for us. Our AD (Chris Drees) did a great job of scheduling for us. I felt good about going to state this year.”
A season ago, Melvin lost all-state guard Molly Martin and center Katie Linenberger to graduation. This time around, he will see six seniors exit the program, four of whom were starters.
That group completed the third consecutive unbeaten WAC schedule, giving them 26 straight conference victories dating back to the final two WAC games of the 2022-2023 season.
With all-state sophomore point guard Jenna Schmeidler as the only underclassman to start, Melvin will have to replace front-court starters Molly Buckles (6-0) and Zoe Winter (5-11), along with guards Annie Humphrey (5-4), Kinslee Newell (5-4). Seniors Rylen Harrington (5-4) and Liz Cunningham (5-5) provided depth at guard off the bench.
“It’s a big group that has had a huge impact on the success of our program for the last four years,” Melvin said. “We’ve done a good job of growing our young talent, and I would guess we’ll have a little smaller lineup. The execution of things will look different, but the philosophy of playing tough defense, sharing the ball, will remain the same.”
While the Lady Indians were dominant in their eight WAC victories (margin of 30 points per game), Melvin says the team keeps the same focus as it does with other teams.
“Our girls have a ton of pride when it comes to the WAC schedule,” Melvin said. “I felt like this year, Liberal and Garden City were good teams and everybody has one or two outstanding players. You just have to stay focused on each game and not take anybody for granted.”
Melvin praised his latest team for the chemistry that it developed among all the players.
“It was an incredibly close group that created a rare environment,” Melvin said. “They cared about each other, and they just wanted the team to be successful. Nobody cared who scored the points.”
Melvin’s junior varsity team will likely have several players step into varsity roles next year after finishing 12-1 in its schedule.
The Lady Indians had an impressive margin of victory, averaging 58.2 points while limiting opponents to 36.2 points. They shot 43.9 percent from the field while holding foes to just 32.1 percent. Their stingy defense forced an average of 17.5 turnovers and they owned a 31.5-21.7 rebounding advantage as well.
“We are fortunate to have a terrific set of coaches working with the younger girls, too,” Melvin said. “We just want to continue to build and have a goal of getting back to the championship game and winning it.”
Melvin was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.
Hays’ Schmeidler steps up role, repeats as WAC Player of Year
When she completed her freshman season as the starting point guard for an elite Hays High School Lady Indians’ basketball team, Jenna Schmeidler was being recognized for being one of the top players, not just in the Western Athletic Conference, but also in the state of Kansas.
The 5-7 point guard was talented enough that it allowed Hays head coach Len Melvin to move then senior all-state guard Molly Martin to the No. 2 shooting guard slot. Success soon followed for both the Lady Indians (22-1 a year ago) and for Schmeidler, the consummate floor general.
In her debut high school season, Schmeidler averaged 15.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. For that, she was voted 2024-2025 WAC Player of the Year. It is believed she was the first freshman to be so honored.
How to follow-up such an impressive rookie high school career. Well, she did just fine. And then some.
Her Lady Indians rolled to a 25-2 overall record, going 8-0 again in the WAC, and reached the Class 5A State championship game against St. James Academy, just coming up short in a 49-48 loss on Saturday (March 14) at Koch Arena in Wichita.
A little more than 24 hours later, on a Sunday evening, she received a text from her coach to notify her that she had once again been voted Player of the Year in the WAC, a conference that includes three Class 6A schools.
“I’m extremely grateful because I couldn’t do it without the help and support of my teammates and coaches,” Schmeidler said in a telephone interview. “I’ve been fortunate to have such great upperclassmen teammates who helped me pick-up things and showed me what good leadership looks like. This year, we had a great group of seniors and they were extremely helpful.”
After her stellar freshman campaign, Schmeidler said she wanted to work on getting physically stronger and just find more ways to help her team.
“She had a year under her belt and she gained so much experience her freshman year,” Melvin said. “Her role was different this year because we had so many more things we needed from her and she delivered.”
Schmeidler said she worked diligently all year between the seasons to work on getting physically stronger and to improve other skills.
“I know by improving my strength that I was able to extend my shooting from 3-point range,” Schmeidler said. “I was able to get my shot off with a quicker release and I think I did better playing through contact.”
Her statistics for the just completed season will back-up those improvements, increasing her numbers in nearly every category.
She averaged 19.9 points and scored a career-high 33 points in one game. She increased her rebounding average to 5.3 and assists doubled from 50 to 110 (4.07 average). She shot 49 percent from the field and connected on 44 percent from behind the arc (77-of-176). She more that doubled her 3-point shots made and attempted from her freshman year.
Adding to her offensive exploits was her deadly free throw shooting, cashing in 92-of-99 charities for an amazing 93 percent.
“I think the game has become more physical and I know I still need to get even stronger than this year,” Schmeidler said. “The summer ball playing with bigger, stronger, older girls really has helped me.”
Schmeidler’s main focus is to create opportunities for her teammates.
“I think I did a good job by creating shots for my teammates and dishing more assists,” she said. “I did a better job of boxing out on defense because our mindset is to get stops. I think I saw the game more in slow motion and that allowed me to make better decisions.”
While coming up short in the state championship game was disappointing, Schmeidler said she and her teammates will use that as fuel to improve and make a run again next year.
“The atmosphere of that game in Wichita was incredible and that’s what I want to experience again,” Schmeidler said. “Our coaches push us to get better and I know that we will continue to fight in each game and support each other.”
Schmeidler said she believes the competition in the WAC also helps her team compete against outside teams as well.
“There’s some great players in the WAC,” she said. “We just focus on taking one game at a time. We respect every team and know that we can’t take a night off. There is a lot of pride for us in representing our community and that was what was so special about this season.”
Schmeidler’s work ethic includes three days per week of lifting, strength and conditioning and at least two or three other days working on specific skills.
“There’s always room for improvement, and that’s my goal,” Schmeidler said.
Joining Schmeidler on the all-WAC first team were seniors Shamari Lewis and Kylie Rhine of runner-up Liberal; teammate Zoe Winter and Garden City freshman Tegan Snodgrass.
The second team was comprised of senior Molly Buckles of Hays; Junior Alex Mayers of Great Bend; juniors Emily Gutierrez and Piper Mellinger of Dodge City, and sophomore Mia Hannagan of Garden City.
Western Athletic Conference
Girls Basketball 2025-2026 Standings
| 1 | Hays | 8-0 |
| 2 | Liberal | 6-2 |
| 3 | Garden City | 4-4 |
| 4 | Dodge City | 2-6 |
| 5 | Great Bend | 0-8 |
2025-2026 All Conference Girls Basketball
| FIRST TEAM | CLASS | SCHOOL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jenna Schmeidler | 10 | Hays |
| 2 | Shamari Lewis | 12 | Liberal |
| 3 | Zoe Winter | 12 | Hays |
| 4 | Tegan Snodgrass | 9 | Garden City |
| 5 | Kylie Rhine | 12 | Liberal |
Coach of the Year: Len Melvin, Hays
| SECOND TEAM | CLASS | SCHOOL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emily Gutierrez | 11 | Dodge City |
| 2 | Mia Hannagan | 10 | Garden City |
| 3 | Molly Buckles | 12 | Hays |
| 4 | Alex Mayers | 11 | Great Bend |
| 5 | Piper Mellinger | 11 | Dodge City |
